Gas-engine.



3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905, R. LONGTINB & E. DOUBLE.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17. 1904.

No. 807,950. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.- R. LONGTINB & E. DOUBLE.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.17. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.-

No. 807.950. 'PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905. R. LONGTINE & B. DOUBLE.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT LONGTINE AND EDWVARD DOUBLE, OF LOS ANGELES,

CALIFORNIA.

GAS-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed August 17,1904. Serial No. 221,062.

T all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ROBERT LONGTINE and EDWARD DOUBLE,Cll3lZeI1S of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, haveinvented a new and useful Gas-Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to the operation of exhaust-valves of gas-engines; and the main object of the invention is to eliminate cams, gear-wheels, and other similar devices for operating the exhaust-valve and to operate the valve by pressure of the exhaust-gas.

Another object of the invention is to lock the valve after it has been opened and to keep it open during the exhaust stroke of the piston, so that all of the burntgases will be expelled, and to unlock the valve and restore it at the end of the exhaust stroke and just previous to the admission of fresh fuel.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through the cylinder, piston, and valve-chest of a gas-engine, showing the exhaust-valve and locking mechanism in side elevation, the piston being shown as having just compressed the charge preliminary to ignition. Fig. 2is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the piston at the end of its working stroke and showing the valve opened by the exhaust-gases and locked in its open position. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the cylinder and valve-chest, showing the locking device. Fig. 4 is a perspective of the valve-locking mechanism.

Briefly the invention comprises an exhaustvalve through which the burnt gases are expelled from the cylinder, with means for introducing the exhaust-gas to a suitable piston for opening the exhaust-valve, with means for automatically restoring the exhaust-valve.

A further feature comprises a locking device for holding the exhaust-valve open dur ing the entire exhaust stroke, and thus allowing the valve to close, the locking device being preferably controlled by the regular engine-piston.

1 designates the cylinder. which may be of the usual construction and suitably waterjacketed. 2 is the piston therein.

3 designates an exhaust-valve chest, which is Water-jacketed and preferably mounted upon the top of the cylinder 1, although it may be placed in any other desired position on the Wall of the cylinder. The valve-chest 3 is cylindrical and provided with a piston-chamber 4 and a valve-chamber 5, the latter communieating by a passage 6 with the head end of the cylinder 1 and the former communicating by a passage 7 with the cylinder 1 at a point close to the piston when at the end of its outward stroke.

A piston-valve 8 is mounted in the valvechest 3 within the valve-chamber and has a flange 9, which normally rests upon a seat comprising an annular flange 10 on the inner Wall of the valve-chest. The piston-valve 8 is provided with an annular concave groove 11 in that portion which lies normally within the valve-chamber 5 so as to permit the exhaust-gases to circulate around the piston and affording the necessary space to permit the quick expulsion of the burned gases when the valve is open. The valve 8 might be considered a puppet-valve, owing to its manner of seating against the flange 10 instead of cutting across a port in its stroke. Strictly speaking, it is a composite of both piston and puppet valve types.

The valve 8 is connected by a stem 12 with a piston 13, which is preferably hollow, as shown, the inner Walls of the valve-chest 3 being contracted at 14 to provide a bearing therefor. An exhaust-chamber 15 is thus formed Within the valve-chest 3 around the stem 12 between the valve-chamber 5 and piston-chamber 4 for receiving the burned gases and from which they are discharged through a pipe 16. The piston 13 is provided with a series of perforations 17, which permit exhaust-gas within the chamber 4 to escape when the piston 13 is in the position shown in Fig. 2.

The valve 8 is provided, preferably, with a suitable piston-ring 18 and has an extension in the form of a rod 19, which projects through and is slidably mounted in a guideplate 20, attached to the head end of the valvechest 3. The rod 19 is provided with alocking-notch 21, and a coil compression-spring 22 is interposed between the guide-plate and the head of the piston-valve 8, normally holding the valve 8 closed.

A rock-shaft 23 is mounted in the head of the cylinder 1, having a flange 24, which bears against the inner face of the head of the cylinder and which is provided with an operating-arm 25, as shown in Fig. 3. The outer end of the rock shaft 23 protrudes through the cylinder-head, and adjustably mounted thereon, by means of aset-screw 26, is a locking-bar 27, the hub of which presses against the outer face of the head of the cylinder and, together with the flange 24, prevents longitudinal movement of the rockshaft.

A lifting-piece 28, comprising a plate having an inclined edge 29 and a foot 30, is carried by the piston 2, being fastened thereto by suitable bolts which pass through the foot 30.

31 is an inlet-valve, which may be of the puppet type, as shown.

In operation when the parts stand in the position shown in Fig. 1 the lifting-plate 28 holds the arm 25 slightly raised and the valve 8 is held seated by the compression-spring 22. As the piston 2 moves to the right after the explosion the removal of the lifting-plate 28 from under the arm 25 allows the same to drop, and the weight of the operating-arm 25 is exerted through the rock-shaft and holds the locking-arm 27 against the. side of the extension 19. As soon as the piston moves to the position shown in Fig. 2 the passage 7 is uncovered and part of the exhaust-gas rushes therethroughinto the chamber 1 and exerts its pressure against the piston 13, thereby moving itto the left and opening the valve 8, compressing the spring. The extension 19 is moved to the left with the valve 8, and as soon as the locking-notch 21 is brought into register with the locking-lever 27 the latter engages therewith and locks the valve in its open position.

The piston 2 starts on its return stroke andcuts off the passage 7 and whatever exhaustgas is in the piston 13 and the chamber 4: escapes through the perforations 17 into the exhaust-chamber 15, while the great bulk of the exploded gas which is contained within the cylinder 1 passes out through the passage 6, through the valve-chamber 5, into the exhaust-chamber 15, and thence out of the pipe 16, its escape being accelerated by the return of the piston. As soon as the piston in its return or exhaust stroke brings the liftingplate 28 into contact with the arm 25 the latter is rocked upwardly by the inclined face 29 and the locking-bar 27 is tilted out of engagement with the locking-notch 21, thereby releasing the valve, and the compressionspring immediately restores the valve to its seat. The cylinder is then ready to receive a fresh charge of fuel during the suction stroke.

It is obvious that only a slight movement of the locking-bar 27 is necessary to lock or unlock the extension 19. Hence the arm 25 needs to be raised onlya slight distance, and

by giving the lifting-piece 28 the proper slope on its edge 29 the result is accomplished by a so7,95o

very slight amount of travel of the piston. The valve 8 is held open during the entire exhaust stroke of the piston, not being released until substantially the termination thereofl The locking-bar 27 may be adjusted on the rock-shaft for securing the proper time of unlocking the extension 19 to permit the valve to close.

While we have shown and described one form in which the invention may be carried out, it should be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

That we claim is 1. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and piston, an exhaust-valve, means for opening the exhaust-valve by the pressure of the exhaust-gas, a rod carried by the exhaust-valve having a notch, a pivoted lockingbar for engaging the notch, and means cooperating with the piston foractuating the locking-bar.

2. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and piston, an exhaust-valve, means for operating the exhaust-valve by the pressure of the exhaust-gas, an extension on the valve, a locking-arm for detachably engaging the extension, a rock-shaft mounted in the cylinder and carrying the locking-arm, anoperating-arm inside the cylinder carried by the rock-shaft, and a device carried by the pistonfor tilting the operating-arm and thereby controlling the locking-arm.

3. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and piston, a valve-chest forming a valve-chamber and a piston-chamber, with an intermediate exhaust-chamber, a valve in the valve-chamber, and a piston in the pistoncharnber connected with the valve, said valvechamber communicating with the exhaustchamber and main cylinder, and said pistonchamber communicating with the exhaustchamber and with the main cylinder at a point which is near the head of the piston when it is at or near the end of its outstroke, and means for normally holding the valve closed, whereby when the piston moves far enough to uncover the passage leading to the piston-chamber exhaust-gas is admitted to the pistonchamber and operates the valve-piston and opens the valve, thus allowing the exhaust-gas normally holding the valve closed, whereby when the piston moves far enough to uncover the passage leading to the piston-chamber exhaust-gas is admitted to the piston-chamber and operates the valve-piston and opens the valve, thus allowing the exhaust-gas to pass into the exhaust-chamber and means for locking the valve in open position.

5. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and piston, a valve-chest forming a valve-chamber and a piston-chamber, with an intermediate exhaust-chamber a valve in the valve-chamber and a piston in the pistonchamber connected with the valve, said valvechamber communicating with the exhaustchamber and main cylinder, and said pistonchamber communicating with the exhaustchamber and with the main cylinder at a point which is near the head of the piston when it is at or near the end of its outstroke, means for normally holding the valve closed, whereby when the piston moves far enough to uncover the passage leading to the piston-chamber exhaust-gas is admitted to the piston-chamber and operates the valve-piston and opens the valve, thus allowing the exhaust-gas to pass into the exhaust-chamber, means for holding the valve open during the exhaust stroke, and means for restoring the valve at the end of the exhaust stroke.

6. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and piston, an exhaust-valve, means for operating the exhaustvalve by the pressure of the exhaust-gas, an extension on the valve, a locking-arm for detachably engaging the extension, a rock-shaft mounted in the cylinder and carrying the locking-arm, an operating-arm inside the cylinder carried by the rock-shaft, a device carried by the piston for tilting theoperating-arm and thereby controlling the locking-arm, and a stop for limiting the movement of the operating-arm.

7. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and piston, an exhaust-valve, means for operating the exhaust-valve by the pressure of the exhaust-gas, an extension on the valve, a locking-arm for detachably engaging the extension, a rock-shaft mounted in the cylinder and carrying the locking-arm, an operating-arm inside the cylinder carried by the rock-shaft, and a device carried by the piston for tilting the operating-arm and thereby controlling the locking-arm, said locking-arm being adjustably attached to the rock-shaft.

8. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and piston, an exhaust-valve, means for operating the exhaust-valve by the pressure of the exhaust-gas, an extension on the valve, a locking-arm for detachably engaging the extension, a rock-shaft mounted in the cylinder and carrying the locking-arm, an operating-arm inside the cylinder carried by the rock-shaft, and a lifting-plate having an inclined edge carried by the piston for tilting the operating-arm.

chamber, the piston-chamber communicating by a passage with the cylinder whereby when said passage is opened by the working piston exhaust-gas enters the piston-chamber and operates the piston therein thus operating the exhaust valve and bringing communication between the valve-chamberand exhaust-chamber.

10. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and working piston, a valve-chest on the cylinder having an exhaust-chamber and a piston chamber communicating therewith and a valve chamber communicating therewith, an exhaust-valve in the valve-chamber normally closing communication between the exhaust-chamber and valve-chamber, a piston in the pistonchamber connected with said valve and normally closing communication between the piston-chamber and exhaust-chamber, the piston-chamber communicating by a passage with the cylinder whereby when said passage is opened by the working piston exhaust-gas enters the piston-chamber and operates the piston therein thus operating the exhaust-valve and bringing communication between the valve-chamber and exhaust-chamber, and means for automatically locking the exhaust-valve in open position.

11. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and working piston, a valve-chest on the cylinder having an exhaust-chamber and a pistonchamber communicating therewith and a valve-chamber communicating therewith, an exhaust-valve in the valve-chamber normally closing communication between the exhaust-chamber and valve-chamber, a piston in the piston chamber connected with said valve and normally closing communication between the piston-chamber and exhaust-chamher, the piston-chamber communicating by a passage with the cylinder whereby when said passage is opened by the working piston exhaust-gas enters the piston-chamber and operates the piston therein thus operating the exhaustvalve and bringing communication between the valve-chamber and exhaust-chamber, and means for automatically locking the exhaust-valve in open position, and means operated by the working piston for unlocking said exhaust-valve.

12. In a gas-engine, in combination with the cylinder and working piston, a valve-chest on the cylinder having an exhaust-chamber and a pistonchamber communicating therewith ICC between the valve-chamber and eXhaust-chamher, and means for allowing gas to escape from the piston-chamber into the exhaustchamber when the exhaust-valve is open.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands, at Los Angeles, California, this 12th day of August, 190s.

ROBERT LONGTINE. EDWARD DOUBLE.

In presence of- FREDERICK R. LYON, RILLA ROBERTS. 

